One of the reason I like running (really jogging) so much is that it’s a solo sport.
I know that sounds wrong and that people might might think I’m either snobby or inconsiderate when I say things like, but for an introvert like me, running by myself is a calming experience. After all, as I tell people, I’m an introvert who has learned to live in an extrovert’s world. The amount of interaction that my life requires is good for me for so many reasons, but the fact that I need time by myself to process and think, is just one of the characteristics that God in His wisdom gave me.
However, one of the problems with this solo pursuit is that unlike a little league game or a church basketball league, there’s no one lining the course cheering me on to victory. No one is waiting for me at the finish line to tell me I did a great job. Unlike athletic pursuits in which there is a community supporting the players, running requires independent motivation.
Except for the race we run in Christ.
In this pursuit, we do have a crowd cheering us on. As Hebrews 4:12 states it’s precisely because we are surrounded by “so great a cloud of witnesses” that we are motivated to continue to run. Our endurance is prompted by our company. Knowing that they have finished the race that was set before them, we can be confident that the God who directed them, will also work to bring us victoriously to the end.
Therefore, may we run well. May we honor the sacrifices they’ve made and the challenges they’ve faced, by letting their cheering encourage us to run harder, faster, and with greater intensity. And may their Coach, and ours, be proud of all of us when the race is completed.
